Lions’ Offensive Line off to Uncharacteristic Impressive Start in 2021

Jared Goff

Getty Jared Goff throws a pass against the Packers in 2021.

Through the years, the Detroit Lions have typically had one of the weaker offensive lines in the NFL, but finally, that looks like it is set to change dramatically for the future.

Detroit’s offensive line was supposed to be good in 2021, and hyped as such all offseason. Even in spite of a major injury to Taylor Decker, the team’s front has managed to exceed expectations in a big way on the field, which has led to them being one of the best groups in the league.

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So far, the stats seem to back that up for the Lions. As Pro Football Focus pointed out, Detroit’s line is having a phenomenal start to the year having only allowed 2 sacks on 136 passing attempts.

Detroit’s line is giving quarterback Jared Goff time to survey the field and make confident decisions. So far, even though the Lions are 0-3, the play of the team’s front has been a significant plus for the offense. The Detroit rushing game has been good, and Goff has had a decent start to the year, with 801 yards passing 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.


Lions Offensive Line Improved for 2021

To say what the Lions are doing on offense up front is impressive might be an understatement. The Lions have famously struggled to run the football, and this season, they are averaging a decent 105.7 yards per-game early on. Even in spite of the Taylor Decker injury, Detroit’s group is doing well with Penei Sewell, Jonah Jackson, Frank Ragnow, Vaitai and Matt Nelson leading the way up front. It’s a far cry from some of the Detroit lines of the past, which have struggled to get off to good starts on the field.

So far, it’s good to see the Detroit front matching the lofty expectations that were thrown their way ahead of a new season. It’s not that often that plays out on the field.


Penei Sewell Leading Charge for Lions’ Offensive Line

Who is playing the biggest role so far in Detroit? It could be the team’s rookie. Sewell continues to impress, and in Week 2 of the 2021 NFL season, he managed to do that again while taking on the Green Bay Packers. Sewell hardly looks out of place early in his NFL career, and once again helped Jared Goff stay clean and the Lions’ ground game churn out some yards in just his second game in the league.

Perhaps impressively, Sewell’s streak of not allowing sacks from college has continued through to the professional ranks. At this point, Sewell is on a streak dating back to 2018 in terms of not allowing anyone to get to his quarterback from the left side as PFF pointed out.

Sewell has transitioned to the league in a great way thus far, and opened some eyes with his impressive play on the field. The fact that he continues to keep this up while facing the best pass rushers of the best is certainly eye-opening and proves that Sewell does in fact belong in the league.

Obviously, the rest of the Lions are matching his intensity and play so far.

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